Above: IndyCar sponsor AMADA AMERICA INC. is pioneering a new approach to reaching untapped talent in a global commercial space.
July, 2024- The U.S. manufacturing industry is on track for strong growth over the next decade, according to a 2024 talent study released by Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute. Customer demand is expected to create up to 3.8 million jobs between 2024 and 2033, half of which could remain unfilled if the skills shortage isn’t solved.
The pace is driving the need for individuals from entry-level and production workers to engineers with a breadth of credentials that include technical manufacturing, digital and soft skill sets. Analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau revealed that, in addition to the skills gap, there is a shortage of potential employees applying for positions.
A 16 percent surge in vocational training programs has some calling Gen Z the “Toolbelt Generation.” The group makes up more than 20 percent of the U.S. population. In May, McKinsey & Co., the largest of the “Big Three” management consulting organizations, reported that among 1,000 U.S.-based 18- to 20-year-olds, more than 50 percent perceived a stigma associated with choosing vocational school over a four-year college. For Gen Zers open to a job in the trades, engagement was low. Attracting and retaining these young people in manufacturing “is a critical lifeline to U.S. industry growth and will likely mean rethinking how business is done,” the McKinsey report states.
The second largest street race in the world, the 49th running of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach attracted nearly 200,000 visitors.
GREEN LIGHT
To reach the workforce of the future, AMADA AMERICA INC., has taken an unprecedented step. The OEM is sponsoring IndyCar racing to put the sheet metal industry on the map and attract young professionals to their high-tech industry.
In 2023, AMADA sponsored Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s (RLL) No. 30 IndyCar in the Children’s of Alabama Indy Grand Prix. In April, the company co-sponsored RLL’s No. 30 IndyCar in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach and sponsored the racing team’s No. 75 IndyCar at the Indianapolis 500 in May.
AMADA and RLL first crossed paths in 2020. In 2022, AMADA personnel toured RLL’s new 100,000-sq.-ft . headquarters facility in Zionsville, Indiana. Looking to upgrade some of its processes, RLL installed AMADA’s Brevis fi ber laser and HRB series press brake. The two companies solidified their partnership in 2023.
“Those of us within the industry see sheet metal fabrication as the hightech marketplace it truly is,” says AMADA AMERICA’s CEO Mike Guerin.
“Through outreach such as IndyCar, and allies such as RLL Racing, we aim to entice and ultimately educate young professionals unfamiliar with the exciting industry that all of us love.”
RLL Racing capitalizes on the versatility of AMADA’s Brevis laser and HRB press brake to produce custom components for their IndyCar entries
HORSEPOWER
“The AMADA name on an IndyCar takes the sheet metal industry into a commercial space that is global in scope,” says Stephen Keating, executive vice president of sales for AMADA AMERICA. “Average viewership for an IndyCar race in 2023 was approximately 1.32 million viewers.”
According to the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), the ability to view the skills gap challenge through a wider lens will help to modernize the workforce. Nearly 60 percent of manufacturers surveyed by NAM are creating or expanding internal training programs to address skill shortages. Mentorship programs between industry veterans and new talent are on the rise, along with programs to leverage young people through high school and university partnerships.
“A lot of OEMs are getting involved with internal training and education,” says Mike D’Alexander, president/publisher and editor-in-chief for Trend Publishing Metals Group. “That needs to be done. What is unique about what AMADA is doing is that they have taken sheet metal out of the classroom to another level with their sponsorship of IndyCar racing.”
D’Alexander was a guest of AMADA at the 49th running of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. “Having never attended a race before, I was struck by the sheer size and scope of the event.
The investment AMADA is making as an IndyCar sponsor is creating awareness and a brand for them as a company, but also for the industry itself.
“What I see,” he continues, “is an OEM that is taking a leadership position to tap into a new talent pool and perhaps inspire other companies to look at new ways of reaching young people and in the process reshape the sheet metal industry.”
CHECKERED FLAG
The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach is the second largest street race in the world. Dubbed “Southern California’s 200-mph beach party,” it attracted nearly 200,000 visitors. AMADA paraded the sheet metal industry in front of an audience of nearly 5 million viewers with its sponsorship of RLL’s No. 75 IndyCar in the Indianapolis 500. The car was driven by veteran Takuma Sato.
Organizations like NAM foster the idea that innovative, adaptive approaches can be a conduit to re-skill the current workforce and rebrand, attract and retain new talent. As operations and products become more complex, and the need to integrate information grows, highly skilled roles are expected to expand the fastest.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) also points to increases in key occupations such as mechanical and industrial engineers, which are expected to grow 13 percent by 2032. Semi-conductor processing technicians, machinists, first-line supervisors, welders and electronics and electromechanical assemblers will also see growth. While adoption of automation, artificial intelligence and digital advancements continues to escalate, “the need for skilled workers remains high,” says the BLS.
As an IndyCar sponsor, AMADA’s unique approach to promote the hightech, advanced world of sheet metal and attract a new generation of workers, has earned it the pole position.
AMADA AMERICA INC., 714/739-2111, amada.com
